CHEERIOS CHICKS – CUPCAKES FOR EASTER

March 20, 2017

Just call us CEREAL DECORATORS!! We love finding clever ways to use CEREAL SHAPES in our designs. Take CHEERIOS for example. All those little OHs are just begging to be turned into curly hair, sheep’s wool, or even chicken feathers! And the advantage is that you already have it in your PANTRY!

These PEEPERS are adorbs, and perfect for an Easter party, a spring event, or even a backyard barbecue!

Here’s how we made them:

For the cockscomb we used a 1 inch scalloped craft punch to cut the shape from Fruit by the Foot. But it is just as easy to use a 1 inch round cookie cutter to make a circle and then use crafting scissor to give it a zig zag edge.

Cut a circus peanut in half lengthwise. Each half will make parts for one chick.

To make the beak, snip a small wedge shape about 3/4 inch long from the edge of a circus peanut half. Make a slit in the center of the pointed end of the wedge for the opening of the mouth. Flatten the remainder of the circus peanut half using a rolling pin. Cut out two triangles about 1 inch long and 3/4 inches wide from the flattened candy. Snip two tiny triangles from the wide flat end to create three little toes.

Frost the tops of your cupcakes with vanilla frosting, making a smooth mound. Press CHEERIOS cereal into the frosting, leaving an empty space at one end for the head, about 1 1/2 inches wide and 1/2 inch deep. (For sweeter cupcakes dust the cereal with confectioner’s sugar at this point.)

Press the cockscomb into the frosting at the head end of the cupcake, tucking it under the Cheerios and letting it hang over the edge a bit. To make the eyes add two dots of vanilla frosting on top of the red candy where the comb meets the cereal and place a black pearl in the center of each. Add the beak just below and between the eyes. Finally add the two circus peanut feet at the bottom, wiggling the pointed end between the cereal and into the frosting to secure.

These chicks are so EASY you’ll want to try making them from other cereals, too!

Meet Alan and Karen

Alan Richardson and Karen Tack are the NYTIMES best-selling authors of Hello, Cupcake! , and now Make It Easy, Cupcake! Fabulously Fun Creations in 4 Simple Steps, the cookbooks that have created a revolution in cupcake decorating.